Can you keep chickens in Borough of Old Tappan, NJ?
Only with a Board of Health license, which costs $50 a year for non-business keeping. The coop must sit at least 50 feet from any dwelling unit, 200 feet from any food establishment and 10 feet from any property line, and crowing roosters are banned.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: $50 annual license for other than business purposes |
| Coop setback | 50 ft from any dwelling unit, 200 ft from any food establishment, 10 ft from any property line |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
Good to know
- All live poultry must be confined in coops or runs, built apart from any dwelling.
- Coops need concrete floors kept clean and dry, roosts and drop boards, and droppings removed at least weekly.
- Bird density is capped at one bird per 3 square feet of usable coop floor space.
- Coops and runs are subject to periodic inspection by the Health Officer.
Source: Borough of Old Tappan Code (eCode360), § 265-13 and § 265-14, Keeping of live poultry or other fowl (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Old Tappan clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Bergen County towns
AllendaleBergenfieldBogotaCarlstadtCliffside ParkClosterCresskillDemarestDumontEast RutherfordEdgewaterElmwood ParkEmersonEnglewoodEnglewood CliffsFair LawnFairviewFort LeeFranklin LakesGarfieldGlen RockHackensackHasbrouck HeightsHillsdaleLeoniaLittle FerryLodiLyndhurstMahwahMaywoodMidland ParkMontvaleNew MilfordNorth ArlingtonNorwoodOaklandOradellPalisades ParkParamusPark RidgeRamseyRidgefieldRidgefield ParkRidgewoodRiver EdgeRiver ValeRochelle ParkRutherfordSaddle BrookSaddle RiverTeaneckTenaflyUpper Saddle RiverWaldwickWallingtonWashingtonWestwoodWood-RidgeWoodcliff LakeWyckoff
Building a coop in Borough of Old Tappan?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across BergenCounty and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
In an HOA? The town allowing hens is not the same as your association allowing them. What an HOA can and cannot stop.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
Ready to keep your flock safe?
Tell us about your animals and your land. We'll design a coop built to last, on-site, just for you.